NL Cy Young

It's a close race right now, who are your top three candidates to win the award?

Please rank them accordingly.

 

1) Halladay
2) Wainwright
3) Johnson

Halladay gets the nod from me for the eight complete games to five for Wainwright. Plus the perfect game. He also has better control, though he gives up more hits.

 

I agree with you. The most impressive thing about all those hits he gives up is that most of them don't turn into runs. I believe he's given up 173 hits this season(just from the top of my head) and his ERA is at 2.24. That's a pretty impressive stat in my book.

I'm just hoping that the voters don't look at win/loss records either, since wins are very overrated in my opinion.

 

The high strikeouts and low walks overcome the hits Halladay gives up. Some might say he's a little too in the strike zone (a common criticism I hear of Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker on the Minnesota staff, two control pitchers who get hit hard), but it works for him.

I think last year showed that the voters are definitely coming around on which stats matter and which don't (wins), even as they continue to save face with each other with anti-sabermetric rants in print.

 

If Halladay keeps it up, the award is his. The Phils are hot and he's a big reason for it. Still too early to really run this thread.

 

Strasburg. Duh.

 

Anyone who discusses the NL Cy Young without mentioning Ubaldo Jimenez can't be taken seriously.

 

If they gave the award on June 1, for sure. But right now he's not in the top three. And not that close to the other three, at this point.

 

Tim Hudson as well. This has been an amazing year for pitchers.

Hudson has started 25 games this season, and the opponant has scored more than three runs five times for the entire game. Never more than six and only six once. In 22 starts, the opponants scored less than five runs.

That is a sick combination of bullpen and starter.

 

93 beat me to it on Hudson.

Right now it's between Halladay and Wainwright, but Hudson is coming on strong. Johnson is right there. Jimenez is fading after that ridiculous start to the season.

 

People who believe that Jimenez is in the top three only look at wins, yes he has a good ERA but he doesn't belong in the same discussion with guys like Halladay, Hudson and Wainwright.

 

What it will probably come down to is head-to-head pitching matchups in the last few weeks of the season. Or at least how Hudson pitches against the Cards and Phils. I do not know if they play each other again, though.